Medicine Class of 1949 reflects on 70 years of memories and advancements
By Max Martin, MMJC’19
When they graduated from medical school 70 years ago, the heart-lung machine didn’t exist, penicillin hadn’t been mass-produced and the first successful kidney transplant had yet to occur.
While they may not have learned about some of these breakthrough medical advancements in classrooms or textbooks, they lived through them, working in the field as physicians and surgeons throughout a time when the medical community evolved at a rapid pace.
Meet the Medicine Class of 1949.
“As you get old, you always say ‘it’s not the same as it used to be,’ and that’s probably a good thing,” said Dr. William Goldberg, MD’49. “Medicine has changed tremendously.”
2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the Class of 1949. This year, two members of the class, Drs. Goldberg and R. Clayton Smith, attended Homecoming at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry to celebrate the milestone.
The Golden Alumni Brunch offered a time for the duo to celebrate the achievements of their remarkable careers, but also to reflect on the changing face of medicine over the past seven decades.
“Medicine is a great career, and the way it’s conducted has changed so much,” said Dr. Smith, a former heart surgeon who remembers working through the advent of the heart-lung machine in 1953.
“Of course, we did heart surgery before the heart-lung machine was invented. Imagine, it’s like working on your car with the motor running,” the Victoria, B.C. resident said.
But beyond reflections on medicine itself, the reunion also stirred up memories of what Dr. Goldberg called a “simpler” time – studying at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in the late 1940s, when he and his classmates would go straight from their pathology classes down to the Thames River for a swim.
Just the mention of medical school brings a smile to the 94-year-old’s face and a spark to his voice.
“I have very warm thoughts of the whole experience, but back then, it was so simple,” Dr. Goldberg said with a laugh.
The small class sizes, hands-on learning and close bonds he built with professors are just a few of the highlights Dr. Goldberg remembers from his time at medical school. One unorthodox learning experience, in particular, stands out: spending two weeks living in the then Ontario Hospital.
“That was one of the most remarkable things that helped me in medical school, it was the greatest experience,” Dr. Goldberg said. “You went in pairs, and you lived in the hospital for two weeks. You did your classes, but you went back at night. It gave you a whole different attitude toward the hospital, one that you’d never have if you hadn’t lived there.”
But even if what they learned and how they learned it was much different from a modern curriculum, take a quick glimpse through the class yearbook from 1949 and you’ll see that these young people were, at heart, no different in spirit than today’s Schulich Medicine & Dentistry students.
“Like the Titanic, we were invincible, hand-picked, blue-ribbon students,” wrote Dr. Armand “Mandy” Di Francesco in the yearbook’s Class History of Meds ’49, adding they tackled first year with “vim, vigour and zest.”
Throughout their time together – filled with lab experiments gone awry, early morning exams and long hours in clinics – the class would make their mark on Western, and on each other.
Dr. Fabien Curry was dubbed “Meds gift to the Mustangs” – a star football and basketball player.
Dr. Al Deadman was appointed bandmaster for the Mustangs Marching Band. Dr. Murray Boyce, a fellow band member, missed the train to the varsity game in Toronto and made history by flying – bass drum in hand – from London to Toronto.
Two classmates, Drs. Ruth Clemens and Jack Kennedy, even got married during fourth year.
“After what Meds ’49 went through for five years, we have the utmost confidence that we can face anything in the future, and be a credit to our teachers, our school and our profession,” ends Dr. Di Francesco’s yearbook address.
And the bonds that were built among the Medicine Class of 1949 still hold to this day, with classmates continuing to stay in touch and reminisce on the light-hearted moments of medical school.
“Oh, Ted Mullens, he punched me in the nose during a boxing match. I always remember that. I still get a letter from him now and again,” said Dr. Smith.
But amid the fun, studying at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry ultimately propelled these future doctors into successful careers in medicine.
Dr. Smith facilitated the opening of the heart surgery department at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C. in 1973 – the first in the city.
Dr. Goldberg went on to have a lengthy career as an internist, becoming the Chief of Medicine at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton in the 1960s. He played an important role in founding dialysis, intensive care and respirology units at the hospital.
He also helped to establish the medical school at McMaster University and ran its residency training program for ten years.
Dr. Goldberg later became involved in behavioural medicine research, inspired by his long-time mentor Dr. Frank Brien. He also credits his interest in the subject to a particularly influential quote he read during medical school by famed medical writer Sir William Osler: “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”
Although he retired from practice at 71, Dr. Goldberg continues to be an advocate for behavioural medicine, publishing papers and columns on the topic, and pushing for a more streamlined health care system.
“I’d go to my grave happy if I saw a better health care delivery system,” he said.
And as he looks back on his career and education, he’s able to draw from a lifetime of experiences to offer up advice to future and current medical students.
“Every time you get up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out.’ The hardest thing to say is ‘I don’t know,’” Dr. Goldberg said. “Every problem you have, whether you solve it or not, learn from it.”
As Homecoming 2019 weekend drew to a close, the reflection for Dr. Smith went beyond medical school and his career – but extended to his life as a whole.
“In all, I’ve had a very interesting life and a happy life. I feel that I didn’t leave anything out,” said the 94-year-old. “So, I guess if I died tomorrow, I could die happy. But I don’t want to die, understand that – I’m good for another 10 years.”
The School welcomed back hundreds of alumni for Homecoming 2019. Enjoy a photo gallery showcasing special moments from the weekend events. If you can't see the photo gallery below please follow this link to view the slideshow.
